XVI. Lightning and Flash

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***

Another clean hit. If this were an actual battle, that would've been a killing blow. Death could have come for her six times now.

"How could he be this skilled?", she thought. Perhaps, Irina got ahead of herself. For a moment, she really thought abandoning archery to focus on swordsmanship would be better.

That wasn't actually wrong. Eve told her before that Lucian's a weapon master especially for melee combat. Give him any weapon, be it dagger, sword, or axe, and he's sure to show an exemplary skill. One could only guess how long he had been training to be that proficient. And he trained with two of the best: Marcus and Siegfried

Still, the best fighting style had to be like breathing. It should come out naturally, in harmony and in rhythm with the body. And just like a master of many martial arts, he favored a style that best suited his rhythm, freestyle sword fighting.

"Again.", she demanded. Lucian nodded and took a stance.

Scratches and bruise were already covering her body. If bones could scream, her ribs would have let out one of agony. But the pain she detested was the hit on her collarbone.

She took that damage on purpose. The idea of switching to sword didn't please Lucian. Although he never protested, his first blow aimed to maim her right shoulder. It came very fast and she could swear it would have broken her shoulder but she was able to adjust her body.

Instead of dodging which was nearly impossible, she moved a little, taking the hit to her collarbone. The blow felt lighter. He must have pulled his punch, but it sure tore her skin and almost broke her clavicle.

"I knew what you tried to do.", she confronted him.

"What do you mean?", he said, playing innocent.

"That blow meant to dislocate my shoulder. You don't approve of me fighting with a sword. But you missed!"

"I'm sure I landed that pretty cleanly on your collar. If this were a real fight, that's a decisive blow."

"You're right. But it's not, and still I took it. You failed to disable me, I can still fight. Also, if this were a real fight, you're not supposed to pull your punches. Or are your blows really this weak?", she taunted.

"Hahaha!", Lucian laughed with amusement that didn't feel insulting. He credited her for taking the damage head on, and lauded the determination. "I understand. I'm sorry. I promise to take this more seriously."

A person keeping his promise to you had never been this bad. Regret filled her thoughts but she knew it was only the pain speaking to her. She examined Lucian intently and started to understand his abilities.

First, his sword fighting wasn't exactly free style. Dimachaerus. It was an ancient roman gladiator that fought with two short swords. She didn't recognize it right away because Lucian was only using one. However, his movements indicated that it suited a dual wielding style. He must be using one sword only to throw off an opponent's prediction of his movements, making his style peculiarly unorthodox.

Next was his physical abilities. His physical strength was immense but he's not bringing it all out, it was a "swordfight" after all, and strength wasn't that important as long you landed a clean hit. His speed was excellent but his agility was beyond human. Keeping the same speed while changing direction like a wolf.

What's even scarier was his precision. Every hit he landed was a killing blow, but the best skill he had was his fighting intelligence. They were fighting for more than 30 minutes. During that time, Lucian only swung his sword six times, and six times it hit her.

Throughout their fight, she didn't see him block or parry. He managed to dodge every single blow she delivered. Lucian took a stance for the seventh round of their duel. It dawned on her. She complied.

Lucian smiled and remained still. "She's starting to figure things out on her own.", he thought.

They were dueling. Since they started the training, Irina was using her fencing skills, but her stance didn't suit the battle. She channeled her spirit to her feet. Tiny sparks of lightning pushed through the ground.

"I didn't plan on telling you until the Trials.", she confessed, as if trying to surprise a friend about an achievement.

Lucian stood wide-eyed. Lightning was Irina's natural affinity! "That's extraordinary.", he complimented. Lightning was not a primary affinity. One must have an advance proficiency with either water or fire, combining it to wind. Being skilled with those three would be enough achievement, but to harness those into lightning would still take a lot of time and effort.

"First, remaining sane after being in and out of Umbra as an ordinary human. Second, an unknown manifestation of a spirit artifact. Third, an unprecedented learning of spirit energy.", Lucian enumerated, was he trying to get in her head? "And now this. Such talent. No wonder the elf prince took a liking on you."

"You sound jealous. Is it of my talent or of the elf prince?", she responded, smirking. They both laughed. He looked at her intently and raised his brows as if quizzing her "What have we learned?".

Irina thought for long before answering. "I was fighting like I had a saber in my hand. That's because I assumed I would be fighting in a battlefield with many enemies at the same time. There was nothing wrong with my swordfighting style."

Lucian nodded, confirming her assessments. She continued.

"But it wasn't suited in this fight against your unorthodox Dimachaerus style.", she paused to see the surprised look on Lucian's face as she decoded his fighting style. That expression made her satisfied.

"We're fighting in a duel, and a saber is more effective in a chaotic battlefield. But if I want to win a one on one fight", she pointed her dominant foot forward. Her feet were ideally apart and bent for a lunge. It was a beautiful flawless fencing stance, Lucian thought. The lightning on Irina's feet became denser.

"That's enough swordfighting. Time for unarmed combat-", Lucian lowered his sword and tried to stop Irina from delivering a nasty beating.

"You agreed to do one more round.", she smiled wickedly. "Also, there's something else I want to show you."

Lucian exhaled, defeated. "Fine." He didn't want to argue. It may seem unfair that he's calling a halt to the training, but his gut was telling him it's bad news. He lifted his sword, ready to defend.

He knew enough about fencing. Combining the swift lunge to a lightning enhanced footwork, it would be foolish to even attempt to dodge it. It's virtually unavoidable.

Move the sword arm and leg forward to narrow the target. Slightly shift the arm further from the shoulder. Take the hit on purpose. Grab the sword arm. Deliver a counterattack.

Or so Lucian thought, that's how he would win this fight. Had he been younger, he would enjoy the challenge of a strong opponent. But now, it's only about winning and surviving.

He knew he wouldn't see Irina's strike coming so he focused his eyes on her feet. At least he would know the attack was coming, and he could brace for impact.

There's the lunge!

It wasn't even a tenth of a second from when Irina's feet disappeared on the floor, to when he felt the impact of her attack on his body. She said she was showing him something else, but all he saw was a flash of light, as if his life flashed in his eyes.

***

"Hey! Are you all right? Oh my God!", Irina cried. The fight had her high with adrenaline, it made her confident. Truth be told, this was the first time she hurt another person. She never wanted the idea of hurting someone. Wouldn't that make her a masochist, hesitant to hurt another, but willing to get hurt? No, she shook that thought, it's not like she's enjoying the beating.

Lucian was thrown several feet from where he stood. Good thing they were using unpointed wooden swords, or his body would be full of holes. Pain coursed through his body when he sat up.

"I didn't think you can be so competitive. Did you really need to stab me seven times?" he asked. Lucian had advance senses that let him assess the damage he had taken. The attack was impossible to see. In less than a tenth of a second, Irina stabbed her seven times, that's how many he felt.

He removed his shirt. It was confirmed when they saw seven bruises around his chest and abdomen. That would have pleased him, Irina growing in such a fine fighter in a matter of three days, if he wasn't in too much pain.

She helped Lucian get up and lean on the wall. His ripped body with dark tattoos distracted her from the main issue. It must be too obvious as he struck her with a chastising look.

"Sorry!", she just blurted, both for hurting and staring.

"Think we can call it a night?", he asked but it sounded like a plea. She nodded. He tapped the floor, signaling for her to sit beside him.

Neither of them talked for the next couple of minutes. Lucian was too hurt, and she was too.. embarrassed?

"You didn't like archery", Lucian was the one to break the silence, "even if you're very good at it. You were gripping the locket when you shot the elf prince. That made you feel responsible for having a deep connection with it, so you tried so hard to make it the channel of your spirit. But no matter what you do, you just feel too far from it right now."

Seriously, this guy was impossible. That assessment was spot on. She didn't mind being an open book, but such assertive, personal assessment would normally snap her. However, it was Lucian. From the moment he had saved her life, she was unconditionally drawn to trust him.

She nodded. The corner of her eyes felt some sting. Next time she'd train with Eve, she would ask her if there's a seal for tears.

"On the other hand, you're also exceptional with the saber and rapier. You were having fun, even during the time I was beating you.", Lucian continued. She laughed and had the urge to remind him of how he got his bruises.

"The irony is you feel too connected to the swords. Whatever reminds you of them, surely holds a deep connection to you. And you're afraid to accept that fact, because channeling your spirit to call your artifact, means you're admitting this connection to be part of your very soul and I get how that can be scary.", he concluded.

In a loop of a paradoxical predicament, that's where Irina's mind and heart were right now.

She laid her head on Lucian's shoulder. Her sobbing had no sound but the warm tears falling to his skin betrayed her.

"You've already found a memoir, haven't you?"

She closed her eyes and gently nodded. They would spend the rest of the night sitting in silence.